"Emo" is not short for "Emotional." "Emo" does not mean Taking Back Sunday and Dashboard Confessional, despite what MTV has lead you to believe in the last few years. "Emo" is not sidebangs, tight pants, and male vocalists who sing like little girls about their failed relationships. "Emo" is not the use of diluted, meaningless metaphors and similes such as "My arms are like pinecones," and most definitely is not the rampant use of words such as "autumn," "heart," "knife," "bleeding," "leaves," and "razorblade."

I just thought I'd clear that up after all of these "definitions" in which I have encountered an unbelievable amount of people who try to pass off their blatantly false pretenses as fact, and are slowly infecting others with their high-horse, holier-than-thou bullshit. Because honestly, with your ridiculous definitions, Beethoven, George Gershwin, and Britney Spears are/was "emo bands."

Now, onto the real definition.

In the early 90s there was a movement in the hardcore genre that came to be known as "Emotive Hardcore," spearheaded by Rites Of Spring. Harder-core-than-thou kids, who swore by Dischord Records a la Minor Threat, actually coined the term "Emo" as something of a put-down for the kids who really liked Rites Of Spring, Indian Summer and this new wave of "Emotive" Hardcore bands. That's right, "Emo" was once not something kids called themselves. The field exploded outwards from there - Level-Plane Records has always been the most famous Emo label. Acts like Yaphet Kotto, I Hate Myself, Saetia, Hot Cross, A Day In Black And White, Funeral Diner, I Would Set Myself On Fire For You, You And I, and hosts of others came in the next decade. Most emo bands have since broken up, but there's still the occasional hold-out (again, the majority of Level-Plane Records' roster has been a procession of emo acts). Like most DIY hardcore/punk of the time, a majority found its way onto vinyl and not much else. Some people consider bands like Fugazi, and later Sunny Day Real Estate, a progression of emo, but personally, I don't quite follow that philosophy.

Often, more recently, this gets intertwined with post-hardcore, and understandably so - that's nothing to make an issue of, since well shit, at least it's close.

Since the late 90s, though, bands have been emerging in the vein of Taking Back Sunday, Dashboard Confessional, and the thousands of their clones. As far as I can tell, some lazy journalist somewhere, writing an article about them, decided "Well, fuck, no one knows what emo is anyways, so I'll call these bands "emo" - sounds more appealing than bubblegum pop rock..." and the spiral continued downwards into the current amalgomation of bands MTV has told everyone is "emo."

Somehow, people decided that "emo" meant "emotional," which is obviously bullshit, as 99% of bands make music to illicit emotion, which would make "emotional" a completely all-encompassing genre from classical to opera to pop to rap.

Hope that helps.

Taking Back Sunday, Senses Fail, and My Chemical Romance falls under the "horrible pop rock" genre, not the emo genre.

Emo, emotional, "emotive" (emotive is no longer a current term though). I know many current emos who describe themselve as emotional- finding "emo" to be an incorrect term (seeing as "emo" is a music genre, not a subculture).

Clothes: Normally tight shirts and jeans, hoodies/jackets at any size (I prefer a mixture of tight and baggy hoodies), and Converse or Vans (I love my Converses). A lot of black and bright/light colors such as pinks, purples, and light blues.

Makeup: Heavy dark makeup. Your eyes must show how dark of a person you are...lol, don't take it too seriously. Dark makeup around the eyes, making the eyes stand out, but sometimes with a bit of color as well (color optional). Sometimes little shapes like hearts, stars, or even tear drops can be drawn near your eyes with eyeliner as well. Nails? Black is a given, but many people like to mix it up; 10 different finger nails, 10 possible colors. Facial piercings are optional by the way. Google "emo pics" or something for a better understanding on makeup.

Hair: Big bang swooped across the face. Again, goggling "emo pics" would give you a better understanding. Possibly a few spikes, lightly teased, and a little color, I believe it ends there. Too much further and you're in the scene territory. I love scene hairstyles, but i'm not scene so I shouldn't try and steal from them...even though they are a sub-sub culture of us.

By the way, emo styles WILL very. All of those things above? You don't have to do ANY of it to be emo. The reason why most real emos would rather be called "emotional" is because it's the feeling that counts. To be honest, if you follow this kind of "emo code" to much, you'll just look like a poser...emos hate posers. Me? I mess up my hair and a little eyeshadow in a funky color, but I don't even do the heavy black eyes thing; I don't have enough time in the morning to put on that much makeup, lol. And no, black isn't mandetory. I do wear a lot of dark colors, but I don't always wear black. Two weeks ago I wore a mixture of white and tan colors, and i'm not any less emo for it.

Mood/Style: While stereotypically, we are supposedly depressed, sucidal, cut/harm ourselves, write dark poetry, and cry 24/7, not exactly true. Maybe for some of us, but my emo friends and I certainly don't. I'm often depressed, rarely suicidal anymore (thank god), I have burst out in tears for no reason a few times but not regularly, and i've only thought about cutting; i've never done it. As for poetry, I write happy and gloomy poems, but most of the ones I write are love poems.

My point of view? Emos are indeed emotional, but many...or at least some of us, aren't just "whinny babys". We tend to be quiet, passionate, loving people who are just damaged or bruised.
More Mood/Style: Some of us tend to have a thing for stuffed animals/plushies/etc etc. Could be a dinosaur, hello kitty, anime plush, or a regular stuffed animal your aunt Lue sent you, lol. I don't carry stuffed animals around 24/7, but some days I can't help but take an anime plush to school with me.

Myspace: Having a Myspace page is currently one of the latest non-fading emo fads. Get a lot of members, take a lot of photos, have an emo/depressing/dark layout, and be on often.

Emo music: *sigh* I don't even really want to mention emo music. Too much controversy. "That's a emo band!" "No it's not!" "There's no such thing as emo music!" I've heard them all. But, i'll list a few bands that i'd put in the emo category. You don't have to agree with me.

By the way, many emos wouldn't be caught dead without their mp3 player/music device.

Conclusion:

"So whats emo really?" A music genre. Emotional, or Emotive is the subculture. We are dark people, but not as dark as goths. We are similar to punks mainly in style, but are attitudes tend to differ. We are dark people, but loving people, full of passionate emotions. We look sad on the outside, and feel better to be able to admit our pain to the world- making us feel better on the inside. We're not all sucidal or cutters; I know quite a few emos who think it's uncool to cut. We think it's dumb, just like you, to cut for no reason especially. We are full of emotion, we are emos.

"I show my dark emotions through my clothes, poetry, attitude, and the music I listen to. I'm not a bad person, i'm just darker and more in touch with my emotions than you."

A large subculture of mostly middle to high class(the poor can not afford the prices sadly) white teenagers that started in England,after the introduction to punk, when people started wearing black converse, thick rimmed glasses,long sweeping hair,and wrote songs with mostly melancholy lyrics.Today it basically describes anyone that does a broad mixture of these following things: wearing heavy amounts of eyeliner whether being girl or boy, wearing black nail polish, wearing black tight clothes that are usually bought either at hot topic, listening to what is labeled as emo music, being depressed, wearing converse, cutting themselves as a form of release, having hair that covers one eye, having a sad and anti social(accept in like groups of course) personlity, being obsessed with death and the thought of death, etc. Both genders are labeled as and are usually bi but i believe that this stage in many teenagers lives, including my own, where they become experimental and let their emotions take hold of them. Most of the time this is just that, a stage, and will probably pass before high school graduation. Most teens start this fad because they are socially outcast so they say and do things they wouldnt normally to try and fit in,much like any gang member. Sometimes these actions result from past traumas or any other countlessly possible things. Most emos are posers in the first place though,they do it to fit in,not because they actually like any of it or they just thought it was cool. Because of this and the fact that most of them are all too aware that they themselves are posers, the term has become an insult and can lead to confrontation in the group. If any other kids read this,than just remember that not all emos are posers in their little clicks where each of them is 'misunderstood'. Look for one that is willing to talk to all walks of life, you never know, you may actually like them.

Emo is a lifestyle that is stereo typed by many people who truley don't understand. Emo the stereotype is people that are depressed and who cut themselves. Those people are called self harmers.

Emo means emotional so as an example if you are emo you aren't sad you are realy sad(where the stereo type comes from which is a lot of the emo people so you see where the stereotype comes from), You aren't happy you are realy happy (Many people dont notice this as emo), you aren't angry you are realy angry,Etc.. Emo means you feel your emotions to an extreme.

Most emo's wear all black and listen to rock music(usualy screamo). True emo people have real problems they sometimes look like normal everyday people without the hair styles, makeup, and all the hate. The fakes are middle class-upper middle class kids who think they have real problems when in reality they dont. They take and dye their hair, start wearing black, and listen to screamo or metal, and "hate" their lives.

Emo people use music, the way they dress, and look to express themselves.

Emo people are milder than goth.
Emos are usualy the opposite of preps.

A softer genre of rock music that is marked by its excessively melancholy trappings. This extends to the heavily overwrought song lyrics, the persistence of the "Emo Kids" to appear brooding, mysterious and tortured, and the bands' very names.

"Emo Kids" are, to put it bluntly, constantly in the pursuit of the complete self-obliteration of any sort of perspective. Evident from the idolized paragons of emo culture(songs, that is) Emo kids dwell incessantly upon their emotions, usually of love, regret, heartbreak, and/or internal torment. To be frank, it seems that they simply cannot concentrate on anything other than themselves, while failing to realize that their dilemmas are not, in fact, very unique, and that everyone else in the world learns to deal with life...without forcing themselves to conform to some sickening subculture that only breeds self-imposed misery.

Which leads us into the next aspect of the emo lifestyle--the cult of emotional angst. Emo Kids are known to be cutters, which, sadly, has cheapened such a dangerous habit. Before, shall we say, the Emo Era, cutting was not flung around as "street cred," of sorts, it was (and still is, to those who truly suffer from it) a psychological problem that needed addressing. However, the emo culture has warped this harmful practice into something rather glamourous, a sort of rite of passage. This, along with many other rituals, are self-inflicted, for the most part--that is, Emo Kids brainswash themselves into believing they are deep, dark, and mysterious because they cut themselves/write, for the most part, amateurish poetry/take trite, black-and-white photographs to put on myspace/etc.

Emo Kids are nearly always teenagers, and though they do not like to admit, fill the stereotype of self-possessed adolescents to a tee. Frankly, Emo is a phase--a highly annoying one, but a phase nonetheless.

Emo is marked by an highly aesthetic element as well--tight pants, band T-shirts, argyle, and black-rimmed glasses are commonplace.

-Band shirts, striped clothes, checkered patters, all black shirts, etc all can be common apparel for emo kids.

-Slip on Vans are a favorite for emo kids shoes. Typically any kind of skater shoe may be worn as well.

In conclusion, I myself have been called "emo" and im your typical emo kid. i have cut before and do wear skinny jeans etc. i feel just the same as any other emo kid. i get picked on, made fun of, and called names because of who i am. Deep down inside ALL emo people are really friendly people. You dont even need to look deep down inside. Haters just need to stop judging us for who we are. I love EVERY emo person on the face of the planet. We are all here for each other, us emo's. Emo ppl RULE!!

Emo kids are dark, sensitive, and scary looking people but beneath all that there is a person who has a heart and truly cares.